Out of the Worst Comes the Best
by AtomicFire
Summary: Ron is seriously hurt... who's bringing the rose? Oneshot, rated for mature content. [COMPLETE]


_**Out of the Worst Comes the Best**_

_All the times he went out to help save the world, all the risks he took... to be injured like this was an injustice, especially just a month past his eighteenth birthday._

"Kim, I have to go back to the hospital to pick up some files... do you want to go see Ron? I can sneak you in even though visiting time is well over." Her mother called.

_He had been jogging mornings before anyone else got up._

"You bet Mom, let me get my coat!" Kim replied, curious to see if the rose would be there.

_He was found by a paperboy... hit and run, 4 broken ribs, both legs shattered, and a fractured skull... comatose but alive._

Ron had now been in the hospital for the past two weeks, the cards and well wishes had been endless, because he might not have been everyone's favorite but no one deserved this. But the red rose left every night by his pillow had been the most curious of all. A delivery person had never been seen, a well wisher had never owned up to it and Kim had asked them all. It always appeared through the night... and not only did Kim want to check on her friend, but her curiosity had finally gotten the better of her, she just might be late enough to see this mystery for herself.

The drive to the hospital was quiet, save one question from her mother... "I wonder if you'll meet who is leaving the Rose?" The question hung in the silent car. Kim had inherited her curiosity in an honest manner.

Her mother talked with the duty nurse and made sure she would not be disturbed, "I'll come get you when I am done with my files and check Ron out myself Kim, OK?"

"That sounds great Mom, thank you." Kim had proceeded down the hall to Ron's room.

A sound made her stop short... _That sounds like someone sobbing, quietly, but still sobbing_...

She moved towards the door to the room, it was open a crack and she saw a young woman with long jet black hair wearing blue jeans and what looked like one of Ron's favorite shirts with her head down on the bed, her hand on Ron's... _and there was the Rose!_

Kim moved silently into the room leaving the door open a crack...

"Please don't make me leave." The woman pleaded between sobs. _That voice sounds so familiar_... Kim thought.

Kim moved to the woman and placed an hand on her shoulder, wanting to comfort her, obviously she deeply cared for Ron.

"It's OK, I'm not supposed to be either... my name is Kim, how do you know Ron?" She asked.

The young woman turned to her, revealing pale skin and black makeup running everywhere... "Hi Kim, no fighting OK? Not around Ronnie."

"SHEGO" Kim exclaimed in a silent squeak, if she hadn't placed her hand on what she now knew was Shego's shoulder she would have been on the floor.

"Wh... why, how... why are you here Shego? What... wait... Ronnie?" Kim babbled, unable to grasp the scene. "It was _you _bringing the rose every night?" She finally spat out.

"Yes, it was my rose, as for the rest... well I know Ron really wanted you to know, he just couldn't find a way to say it, so we kept it secret, now is about time to tell you." Shego said, grabbing tissues to wipe her eyes.

"Kept what secret? Shego, what is going on here?" Kim pleaded.

" I told him not to jog that early... he wanted to be in better shape, now that he had love he decided to improve his life around it... oh, Kim why Ron?" Shego stood and began to cry on Kim's shoulder. Kim's mind raced... _Did she say Ron in Love? With whom... Shego crying... ohhhh, my god!_

Kim found herself slowly embracing her enemy and guiding her over to the couch on the side of the room, sitting her down with a box of tissues.

"Please Shego, explain it all to me." Kim asked.

Shego sighed deeply, wiped her eyes and began... "Well, remember back 6 months ago Ron got me a Birthday gift?"

"Yeah I do, I remember I hassled him about it but he said that even villains are people too... I thought he was silly to do it, I don't even know what he gave you." Kim admitted.

"He gave me this..." Shego reached for her purse and pulled out a small flat case, polished aluminum, with an green letter "S" in script on the cover "... it's a nail file set, he admitted later he found it cute how I always sat around filing my nails..." her voice trailed off and she got a small smile on her face "... well about 4 days after he gave me that gift, as Dr. D was rebuilding and rethinking I paid Ron a visit, I think you were on a date or something with some guy, Ron was trying to do his homework, I think I shocked him bad when I tapped on his window. You have to know, no one has ever gotten me a gift that was so thoughtful, so caring. He let me in, I had only intended to say thanks and move on, he asked me to stay and talk, he was lonely and I realized I was too... his folks weren't there."

"Yeah, I remember that night, I was with Josh and Ron's folks were both away at a conference." Kim admitted... _I knew he had been lonely._

"Well we talked for hours that night, he decided to make me cookies... chocolate chip... " She admitted with a smile. "I don't know why he opened up like that to _me_, he never explained why, he just did. He treated me like a person, do you know Kimmie how long it had been since I last had a meaningful conversation with a man?"

All Kim could do was shrug.

"Over 6 years, Drakken and his goons don't know how to treat a lady, Ron does... when we sat at the kitchen table he even pulled out my chair for me! I nearly choked on a cookie... well that night I opened up to him too, we traded e-mail addresses... we began e-mailing twice or more a day."

"So thats why he started to go to the computer lab during lunch..." Kim gasped, the pieces fitting.

"We would get together whenever you had a date with this or that guy, Ron is such a sensitive and caring young man, he worried about you thinking that I threatened what you had with him, he was also worried about what everyone would think, fighting one day and smooching the next... luckily the press don't care about him like they do you... after this though, its not going to matter, no more crime." Shego admitted sternly.

"Is this why you were acting so... distracted during our fights lately? I mean not that I am complaining, but in the past few months you seemed to have gotten less interested." Kim asked.

"Yeah, Dr. D hasn't been happy with my performance of late, I just couldn't keep my eyes off of Ron, I had to make sure he was ok." Shego began to cry openly again, Kim took her hand and held it, knowing that something deep had changed within her... _enemy? _No maybe not enemy anymore.

"Do his parents know?" Kim asked after a long silence.

"Yes, he swore them to secrecy about it... one night about 4 months ago he was stuck doing homework, Drakken had really made me feel like crap that day and I needed some Ron-shine... he had rigged his window so I could come in anytime, I knew not to go because of his e-mail, his mother was watching him like a hawk, but I went anyway. His mother walked in on us in each others arms, I ended up on the couch talking with Ron and his folks and even though they knew who and what I was Ron stood up for me. They accepted me by the end of that night and then Ron and I started going out on some normal dates to dinner or movies or sometimes he'd make me supper at my condo... we grew so close, two months ago we both admitted we love each other." Shego began to weep openly and took a minute to regain herself, wiping her eyes again.

"Shego I don't know what to say... this is something... do you really love him?" Kim asked, looking directly into Shego's tear filled eyes.

"Yes Kim I do, I have never been loved like Ron loved me, unconditionally, without judgment and with gentleness." Shego looked right back at Kim as she said it with a strong and clear voice. "Ron said that you and he were friends only, that you loved each other, but like brother and sister... is that true?" Shego asked quietly.

Kim was stunned by the question and forced herself to think about it knowing that a lot rode on what she said.

"I'd be a liar if I said I had never thought of Ron as anything more than a friend, but it was always weird, even the dreams didn't feel right... brother and sister, yeah that fits... he protects me like a brother should, there is nothing for you to worry about Shego, not from me." Kim assured her.

"Kim could you call me Sarah? It's my real name you know, Ron uses it and these days I don't like being called Shego that much anymore." Sarah sighed.

"Ok, ... Sarah." Kim said with a smile... _Can love really change someone this much?_

Sarah relaxed for a while then sighed and made a decision, she began to speak...

"I know you probably don't want to hear this but you should know as his best friend, remember how he called off a study session with you the night before his birthday?"

"Yeah, that hurt a bit... first time he ever did that to me." Kim admitted.

"I have to apologize for that because... well... on his birthday, remember how he had this megawatt smile all day and a limp all morning... ?" Sarah was now grinning through the tears at Ron laying there on the bed.

"Yeah I was wondering about that... oh... OH... WOAH... Sick & Wrong" Kim's normally pretty face twisted into various ugly shapes as she realized what Sarah was saying.

"No, never 'Sick & Wrong' with Ron, never... more like warm and kind and caring... we made love." Sarah admitted, then continued...

"The night before his birthday we celebrated together, I made him a romantic meal and one thing led to another and it happened... four times... it was his first and my first that I actually understood what the fuss was about... he was so gentle and caring and eager to please... oh Kim, I knew I was in deep trouble then, the best kind of trouble." Sarah was smiling now her body warmed remembering that night.

Kim though quietly for a long while then had to chuckle, "Four times... I guess you were the one that found out if the locker room rumors were true."

Sarah just looked confused, "What do you mean Kimmie?"

"Well all the guys claim they have to give Ron 'space' when they shower" Kim said with a raised eyebrow and a slightly pinker face, seeing Sarah still confused Kim got even pinker and held out her two hands about six inches apart.

"Oh... Oh, I see!" Sarah got a wicked grin and laughed and then moved Kims hands about four inches further outward.

"Are you serious!" Kim exclaimed silently as her face went into shock and her skin turned as red as her hair.

There was a broad grin on Sarah's face as she nodded seriously.

Kim shook herself. "I can't believe I just asked that. My best friend is lying there in a coma and I'm talking about... about..." Kim sputtered.

"His equipment?" A voice from the door asked, Anne Possible made her way into the room with a twisted grin on her face. "You must be Shego... after hearing you talk about Ron I'm willing to forget much of the history between you and my daughter." Anne advanced to Sarah and offered her hand which was taken warmly.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Dr. P." Sarah said with a smile and then caught herself. "Sorry, Ron got me started... Thank you for understanding, and it's Sarah now, please."

"Thats ok, please call me Anne." She said with a reassuring hand Sarah's shoulder as she sat down on the couch, Ron's chart in hand.

"Umm, how much did you hear Mom?" Kim asked carefully.

"From 'chocolate chip' or thereabouts" She smiled at the two young women. "He does make them oh so good... and Kim... NEVER let your Father hear you talk like that... you might be the one shipped up in a space probe." Anne warned with a laugh as Kim went 3 shades of red in an instant.

Even Sarah had to laugh at that.

"Anne what does Ron's chart say?" Sarah asked after a quiet moment, hoping she wouldn't regret it.

"Well in short, that everything is healing, the fractured skull did no real permanent damage, he could wake up anytime." Anne said as she looked over at Ron's face, angelic as he lay there breathing slowly.

Sarah smiled, and a look of relief crossed her features.

"Kim, do you understand... you know, about Ron and I?" Sarah looked at Kim.

"I have always wanted Ron to find someone who appreciates his skills and talents and accepts him for who he is... I didn't expect it to be you though Sarah... it's good with me on one condition... If you ever turn him evil you will deal with me." She stated.

"I wouldn't think of doing that Kimmie, that would ruin what I love about him... I have banked enough working for Dr. D I really don't need to work ever again and I know Ron has some 'Naco' money left stashed away so he doesn't really have to work either, if Ron does go to cooking school I was thinking of going back to school with him... maybe try my hand at a music degree. I used to be good with a piano." Sarah smiled, then looking over at her love on the bed, she began to weep again. The two Possible women traded a look and gave her a mutual hug.

"Don't cry Sarah, please... I love to see you smile." A weak voice said from the bed...

"RON" Three voices erupted as one...

"Jinx" he said softly. "Someone owes me a soda."

Everyone laughed.

Sarah leapt over to him and kissed his cheek, "How long have you been listening?"

"Since 'sick & wrong'... hearing the woman I love and my best friend talk like that about me made me feel warm inside... well, after the shock wore off... I thought I had died and was in heaven for a while there."

Sarah and Kim both blushed.

He reached up and held Sarah's cheek, playing with her hair... she kissed his hand, taking it in hers, warming it with a green glow.

Ron was deep in thought for a few minutes, appeared to come to a decision and spoke, "Sarah, will you marry me?"

The two Possible women gasped and hugged each other.

"Yes, Ron, it could only be yes." Sarah wept openly, tears of happiness streaming down her face... _Sarah Elizabeth Stoppable! _Her mind exclaimed.

_In the worst scenarios life can throw at us there are always rays of light, a new friend, a new love, a new life together... tempered by adversity to stand the test of time. _

Author's Note: Shego and Ron together seem so right, don't they? When it comes to reviews I take the good and bad with grace and goodwill. Just wanted to do a bit of fluff and a bit of humor... Kim and Sarah (SaraH Elizabeth GO Shego, sounds reasonable, right?) breaking down the barriers between them over Ron, it just seems right. You can imagine _God Bless The Broken Road _by Rascal Flats playing at that wedding.


End file.
